Chicago, IL (Hybrid Position)
Educational Equity | Social Justice | Strategic Collaborations
Apply via email: hr@lohengrinfdn.org
About the Lohengrin Foundation
The Lohengrin Foundation is a family foundation headquartered in Chicago. Our mission is to advance equity, opportunity, and justice to eradicate systemic barriers and promote vibrant, safe, and thriving communities. We work towards our mission by partnering with and investing in organizations that guide transformational programs, advocacy, and policy initiatives to drive social impact and systems change.
We believe that the root causes and systems of oppression are structural, interconnected, and compounded by historical and systemic patterns of exclusion, racism, and inequity. Therefore, we apply a racial and intersectional equity and justice lens to our practices and grantmaking.
Our Values:
EQUITY We embrace differentiated approaches that activate the voices, power, and full potential of those served by addressing the root causes and impacts of structural and systemic racial, social, and economic disparities.
OPPORTUNITY We believe that equitable access to educational, economic, and social mobility efforts must exist to be attainable by all.
COLLABORATION We aim to address the complex challenges facing our society, amplify our impact, and create lasting, positive change through partnerships with community leaders, governmental agencies, policymakers, peer funders, and those directly impacted by the changes we are trying to advance.
JUSTICE We act to achieve fairness, equity, and the removal of systemic barriers in pursuit of a just society.
Grantmaking Program Areas:
Historically, the Foundation provided funding to support a variety of areas including international development, medical research and disease prevention, education, and racial, social, and economic justice. In 2024, the Foundation adopted the following program areas of focus for new grantees. Our grantmaking approach is also data-informed and supported by community input.
EDUCATIONAL EQUITY
- Leadership and Learning
- Educational Opportunity
- Arts Education
SOCIAL JUSTICE
- Movement Building & Systems Change
- Safety and Justice
- Access to Justice
STRATEGIC COLLABORATIONS FOR EMERGENT ISSUES & SYSTEMS CHANGE The Foundation will seek out and accept inquiries from coalitions, collaboratives, and organizations working to address emergent issues and key policy opportunities that may present themselves on an ongoing basis.
Geographic Funding Areas:
The Foundation prioritizes organizations and projects in Chicago and Boston metropolitan areas at large, with selective support provided across other regions for organizations whose work closely aligns with our mission and guidelines.
Administration and Grants Operations Manager
The Opportunity The Administration and Grants Operations Manager is a key administrative professional responsible for ensuring the efficient operation of the family foundation and the effective management of its grantmaking activities. This position blends executive support, grants management, operations and administrative oversight to facilitate the Foundation's philanthropic goals.
The individual works collaboratively with Foundation staff and nonprofit partners to advance the mission of the Foundation. The individual reports directly to the CEO and works closely with the Foundation Staff to fulfill the scope of their role.
This is a full-time, exempt, hybrid position located in Chicago, IL. As a member of our team, we expect the individual, along with all Staff, to work 2-3 times per week in person at our Downtown, Chicago office.
Key responsibilities for the position include, but are not limited to:
Administration and Project Management - 50%
- Provide administrative and project management support to the CEO including scheduling, travel arrangements, events and logistics coordination, expense reporting, and communication management.
- Provide support to the CEO and Board of Directors by coordinating board meeting logistics, scheduling, and board meeting minutes.
- Assist with the preparation of the Board of Directors Book and Board materials.
- Monitor and manage CEO communications, including emails from the general inbox and voicemail, ensuring timely distribution and follow-up.
- Lead the Foundation's project management functions and systems, including assessing current practices and developing a unified project management framework, systems, tools and processes to ensure efficient operations of the Foundation.
- Maintain organized physical and electronic files for grants, operational documents, and other Foundation records.
- Directly support the CEO with special projects or initiatives
- Collect, analyze, and interpret data to inform decision-making and contributes to efforts designed to report on Foundation and Grantee Partner impact.
Grants Management Support - 25%
- Assist with the grant process by logging proposals, verifying tax status, confirming that all materials are submitted, and collecting additional materials from Grantee Partners or program Staff as necessary.
- Collect, analyze, and interpret data to inform decision-making and report on Foundation impact.
- Generate data reports on current and forecasted Grantee Partners to guide program decision-making and budgeting processes.
- Work directly with the Program and Knowledge Management Officer to provide support to Staff in managing the grants database, including closing out grants, monitoring reports, navigating grant contingencies, confirming contact information, conducting Grantee Partner payment reconciliation, and preparing routine reports for the CEO and Board of Directors.
- Work directly with the Program Staff to guide the distribution of grant award letters, agreements, and follow-up communication as needed for reporting and impact measurement.
- Support the development and implementation of policies, processes, and systems on grants, information and data management, due diligence requirements, and database coding as needed to ensure quality control and routine reporting for the CEO and Board of Directors.
Program Support - 25%
- Coordinate and schedule site visits and meetings for the members of the Program Team.
- Coordinate all planning for Grantee Partner convenings and events, including to: ○ Develop and circulate materials, arrange building access, set up technology, and conduct other room coordination. ○ Track RSVPs and take and distribute meeting notes as needed. ○ Ensure efficient event logistics and organization.
- Coordinate/schedule team-wide activities with the organization-wide calendar.
- Make travel arrangements when necessary.
- Support communication efforts, both externally and internally, including taking notes at team meetings, synthesizing and sharing them out to the team, and highlighting action items.
- Sending email correspondence to Grantee Partners or Peer Funders with organizational announcements.
Program & Community Engagement Officer
Qualifications
- BA in Communications or higher preferred, or equivalent work and life experience.
- A commitment to the Foundation's mission, values, and its racial and intersectional equity lens applied to its grantmaking and operations.
- Proficiency with GivingData and/or other grants management software and database systems is highly desired.
- Excellent interpersonal skills and strong collaborative skills.
- Highly organized with strong attention to detail and accuracy.
- Ability to work independently, prioritize tasks, and manage multiple responsibilities.
- Knowledge of nonprofit financial practices and compliance requirements.
- Minimum of 3 years of executive administrative, operations, or project management experience.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills with proven ability to clearly and concisely communicate complex ideas in writing to diverse audiences across multiple writing styles, forms, platforms and tools .
- Strong quantitative and qualitative analytical skills coupled with relationship building skills
- Strong interpersonal, collaborative, and self-reflective capacity
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to present data and information concisely.
- Comfort within a 'start-up' work environment and ambiguity in an evolving organization.
- Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office platforms (Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint) and experience working with databases is highly desired.
Work Environment
- Collaborative, thought provoking, and entrepreneurial
- A valid driver's license and access to a vehicle is needed to participate in occasional travel to grantee partner organizations and other off-site locations in the Chicago metro area.
- The primary workspace/office location of the Foundation is ADA-accessible to people of all abilities.
Compensation and Benefits
- Starting salary range of $75,000 to $90,000 per year based on experience, education, and relevant background.
- The benefits package includes paid vacation, holidays, retirement matching contributions, an annual professional development budget and full medical (BCBS-IL PPO) employer paid health insurance.
To Apply
To apply, please submit your resume and a cover letter to Human Resources at hr@lohengrinfdn.org with "your name – Administration and Grants Operations Manager Vacancy "in the subject line that describes why you are interested in working with a family foundation, your salary requirements, and how your prior experience aligns with the qualifications of the position and mission of the Foundation.
The Lohengrin Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Decisions and criteria governing the employment relationship with all employees are made in a non-discriminatory manner, without regard to race, ethnicity, creed, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin,
This position was originally posted by the Lohengrin Foundation and has been curated by PurposePhil Career. To apply, please visit the original listing on the "apply" link below. We are not affiliated with the employer organization of this job ad or consultancy, and provide this curated listing as a service to our users.
